Samuel the meeting-point of Israel and God

Samuel begins to act, by his testimony, upon the conscience of
the people, and to put away that which weakened them by dishonouring
God. He tells them that, if they will turn to Jehovah with all their
heart, they must put away the strange gods, and serve Jehovah
alone. A mingled worship was intolerable. Then would Jehovah
deliver them. The prophet Samuel is now the meeting-point between
the people and God. God now acknowledges him alone.

The true place of the ark

The ark is not found again in its place until the king chosen of
God is established on the throne; it is only placed entirely in
God's order when the son of David rules in peace and in strength at
Jerusalem [1]. It is consulted once (1 Sam. 14: 18, 19), but its
presence is without effect and without power. It exists, but in
connection with those in whom faith and integrity were no longer
found, so that nothing resulted from it. It the rather proved that
God was elsewhere, or at least that He wrought elsewhere.

Samuel at Mizpeh: his intercession and God's blessing

But we will pursue the history. At Samuel's call the strange gods
are put away. The people gather around him, that he may pray for
them. They offer no sacrifice; they draw water and pour it out upon
the ground in token of repentance (see 2 Sam. 14: 14); they fast and
confess their sin. Samuel judges them there.

But if Israel assembles, even for humiliation, the enemy at once
bestirs himself in opposition; he will tolerate no act which places
the people of God in a position which recognises Him as God.

The Israelites are alarmed, and have recourse to Samuel's
intercession. Samuel offers a sacrifice [2], token of entire
surrender of self to the Lord, and of the people's relationship with
Him; but it is not before the ark. He entreats Jehovah, his prayer
is heard, and the Philistines are smitten before Israel. And it was
not an exceptional case, although they lost nothing of their
formidable character, or of their hatred for Israel. Samuel brings
down God's blessing upon the people, and the hand of Jehovah was
against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

Samuel the support and upholder of the people

The cities of Israel were restored. There was peace between
Israel and the Amorites. Samuel judged Israel at Ramah and built an
altar there. All this is an exceptional and extraordinary position
for Israel, in which they depended entirely on Samuel, who, while
living himself as a patriarch, as though there were no tabernacle,
becomes, through his own relationship with God, by faith, the
support and upholder of the people, who in fact had no other.

[1] Compare Psalms 78: 60, 61; 132. The ark is in connection with
Sion, the seat of kingly grace. Solomon only, as the man of peace,
could build the house.

[2] That is to say, a burnt-offering. This is remarkable. It was
not sacrifice for sin, but sacrifice which recognised the relationship
existing between the people and God. Christ only, as we have seen
elsewhere, is the true burnt-offering.